Mass. home sales plunge to 12-year low 

By MICHAEL P. NORTON

Home sales across Massachusetts sank to a 12-year low in 2023, the first year in office for Gov. Maura Healey, whose road to the corner office was paved with promises to boldly tackle the state’s housing crisis.The Warren Group reported Tuesday that...

Trump wins Iowa’s leadoff caucuses

By The Associated Press

Donald Trump has won Iowa’s leadoff presidential caucuses.The former president’s victory on Monday night gives him a strong start in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination as the contest moves to New Hampshire.Former U.N. Ambassador...

Aquatics classes head to Turners Falls High School during YMCA pool repairs

By MARY BYRNE

GREENFIELD — Thanks to a partnership with the Gill-Montague Regional School District, the aquatics programming at Franklin County’s YMCA can continue for the duration of renovation work on its 75-year-old pool.The YMCA’s pool closed on Jan. 1 for an...

Sharing a vision: GCC marks 25th year celebrating MLK’s legacy 

By CHRIS LARABEE

GREENFIELD — With Monday marking Greenfield Community College’s 25th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, the school expanded its offerings for the milestone event.On hand to deliver the keynote speech was GCC alumna and school Title IX...

Survey examines Northfield’s economy

By MAX BOWEN

NORTHFIELD — Through an ongoing Economic Development Community Survey, town officials seek to better understand how residents spend their money, where they like to shop and what kinds of services they’d like to see more of in Northfield.The survey...

Regional Notebook: Jan. 15, 2024

Health New England awards $100K to local nonprofits SPRINGFIELD — Health New England has awarded nearly $100,000 in grants to nonprofits that address mental health and the opioid epidemic in western Massachusetts.The company’s Diversity, Equity,...

Flight instructors, student pilot killed in plane crash on Greenfield-Leyden line

By CHRIS LARABEE

GREENFIELD — Authorities on Monday identified the three victims of the fatal plane crash on the Greenfield-Leyden line on Sunday.Fredrika Ballard, 53, of Southwick, William Hampton, 68, of Indian Orchard, and Chad Davidson, 29, of Woodstock,...

Northfield Special Town Meeting voters to consider adding sewer commissioners

By MARY BYRNE

NORTHFIELD — Voters will be asked to approve six articles at a Special Town Meeting later this month, including one seeking to increase the number of sewer commissioners from three to five. The meeting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, Jan. 24,...

Working around Mother Nature: Ski mountains cope with mild, wet start to winter

By EMILEE KLEIN

The final clumps of melting snow in the backyard are no indication of snow on the slopes.With the power of snowmaking, gone are the days when winter sports relied on Mother Nature to provide powder for skiing, snowboarding and tubing. Ski resorts in...

MEMA chief: Weather delivering more ‘gap disasters’

By CHRIS LISINSKI

BOSTON — The climate crisis is fueling a steady growth in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather, and Massachusetts cities and towns face an increasingly common conundrum trying to respond to those crises.Many of the disasters that have hit...

Three killed in plane crash near Greenfield-Leyden town line

By LIESEL NYGARD

Federal and local authorities say three people were killed on Sunday when a Beechcraft Baron aircraft crashed near the Greenfield-Leyden town line.According to Greenfield Deputy Police Chief William Gordon, the crash, involving a twin-engine,...

Massachusetts sees record-setting temperatures, precipitation in 2023

By CHRIS LARABEE

A trend of warm years further cemented itself in 2023, as Massachusetts experienced, on average, its warmest year on record, according to new data from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.The average temperature around Massachusetts for the year...

Franklin County’s YMCA contributing to study while opening satellite site in Buckland

By MARY BYRNE

BUCKLAND — In partnering with the University of Washington, Franklin County’s YMCA plans to contribute to a study on the effectiveness of delivering a particular group exercise program remotely versus in person. The program, EnhanceFitness, is an...

Company picks Holyoke for clean-tech cement plant

By JAMES PENTLAND

HOLYOKE — A developer of low-carbon cement has firmed up plans to build its first commercial manufacturing plant in Holyoke, bringing 70 new jobs to the city.Sublime Systems, a Somerville start-up company producing what it calls “the only...

PHOTOS: Hay is for horses

Efforts to change school mascots, state seal make slow, steady progress

By STELLA TANNENBAUM

Slowly but surely — and not without opposition — age-old efforts to change images of Native Americans that many view as offensive have gained new momentum across Massachusetts, sparking conversations about history, representation and what it means to...

Montague and Erving Notebook: Jan. 13, 2024

Jan. 18: Learn hands-only CPR ERVING — The Erving Public Library will host a free hands-only CPR class with the American Red Cross on Thursday, Jan. 18, from 5:30 to 6 p.m. The class will accept up to 20 participants. To sign up, call the library at...

Mass Senate pushes for free community college, with price tag of $170 million annually

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — Senate President Karen Spilka advises to “keep your eyes peeled” for free community college funding in the Senate’s version of the fiscal year 2025 budget.Making community college free for every Massachusetts resident could cost the state...

Amid structural concerns, owner gives look inside Charlemont Inn

By BELLA LEVAVI

CHARLEMONT — Despite repeated concerns from town officials about the structural integrity of the long-vacant and condemned Charlemont Inn at 107 Main St., owner Charlotte Dewey stresses the building is not at risk of failure.“People keep putting this...

Driver sustains minor injuries in Erving rollover crash

By BELLA LEVAVI

ERVING — After its driver navigated off the roadway, a Honda CRV struck a tree and flipped upside down near 140 Northfield Road on Friday. The crash was reported shortly after 3:30 p.m. According to Fire Chief Philip Wonkka, the female driver was...